The present invention relates to the general field of floating accessories and is particularly concerned with a pontoon and a method for making the same.
With the advent of the so-called leisure society and the concurrent trend towards outdoor activities, recreational facilities are being elaborated in areas where water is available. Such recreational facilities typically require docks and marinas so that boats can be used conveniently. Also, recreational crafts such as pontoon boats are becoming increasingly popular.
In constructing marinas or small boat harbors, it is typically desirable to use a floating wharf structure which is accessible from land and has one or more fingers extending out into the body of water. The floating platforms used for building marines are sometimes also used with some modifications as diving platforms and the like.
Generally, floating platforms include an upper decking material supported by a series of transverse and longitudinal support members. Similarly, pontoon boats typically include a deck disposed over two lateral elongated pontoons. This type of construction may also be used with modifications in larger watercrafts such as ferries, scientific research vessels and the like where the stability of the craft in the water is important.
Various types of floating components have been used or proposed in the prior art for the construction of rafts, floating docks and other water buoyant structures. One particularly popular type of buoyant or floating component has been the empty barrel or drum. While the use of such barrels typically made out of steel or the like has been a useful expedient, this practice nevertheless suffers from numerous drawbacks.
Docks and other floating structures made with steel barrels are relatively heavy and quite difficult to put in and take out, of the water. Also, the steel of the barrels tends to rust and specially designed brackets are often needed to secure the barrels to the framework of the dock or raft.
Furthermore, the type of framework required with barrels is typically of a sizeable and expensive nature. Still furthermore, the decking is often supported at a greater height above the water than is desirable.
Foam-filled automobile tires have also been used as water-buoyant components. Although somewhat useful and providing for the recycling of used tires, they also suffer from numerous drawbacks, including the fact that they are relatively heavy.
They are also considered to be expensive relative to the amount of floatation capacity they provide. Rigid foam made out of expanded polystyrene or the like have also been used with limited success since the latter has a tendency to deteriorate over time and to flake off or break up into small particles. They further have a tendency to absorb water.
Another type of floating component commonly used for docks, rafts, pontoon boats and other floating structures is the so-called modular float or xe2x80x9cpontoonxe2x80x9d. Such pontoons are typically divided into two types, namely those that are integral and have a hollow closed shell and those that are not integral and rely upon a closed-cell foam to provide the required positive buoyancy.
Upon installation in water, floating components such as pontoons must typically provide the ability to withstand the natural abuse of the environment such as moisture, exposure to gasoline and oils present in the water of a marina and weather conditions. The floating components must also have the ability to provide long term durability and easy maintenance and to be rodent- and crab-protected. Although most conventional prior art pontoons operate satisfactorily for the purpose intended, they nevertheless suffer from numerous drawbacks. For example, they are often considered unwieldy and expensive to construct.
Also, traditionally, pontoon logs included a generally hollow enclosure, with the air entrapped in the hollow enclosure providing the requisite buoyancy to maintain the structure afloat. In order to provide increased structural integrity to the material forming the hollow enclosure, billets of polystyrene foam have been inserted in the hollow enclosure in a generally T-shaped configuration extending the length of the pontoon log. The billets of polystyrene foam are buoyant and therefore provide some degree of floating in the event of a puncture of the material forming the hollow enclosure of the pontoon logs.
The polystyrene billets however do not prevent water from flooding the log interior through the puncture opening. The flooding of the interior of the pontoon log displaces the air therein and thereby significantly reduces the buoyancy of the pontoon log.
In order to reduce the influx of water into the pontoon log in the event it is punctured, the pontoon log may optionally be completely filled with floatation foam. While this construction provides the desired protection against influx of water into the pontoon interior in the event of a puncture, it may nevertheless suffers from several shortcomings. For example, when the foam is injected into the enclosure, the quantity of floatation foam required to completely fill the pontoon log interior adds considerable expense to the pontoon logs. Furthermore, some precautions are required to ensure the injected foam does not generate too much heat that could affect the integrity of the shell.
Indeed, a conventional method of manufacturing pontoons requiring closed-cell foam for positive buoyancy involves first manufacturing a generally parallelepiped-shaped rigid and hollow shell from a suitable polymeric resin such as high density polyethylene. The hollow shell is then filled with a closed-cell core by injecting a suitable polymeric resin such as expanded polystyrene foam thereinto. This method is both expensive and time consuming.
Furthermore, this prior art method makes it difficult to customize the amount of closed-cell foam within the shell depending on the desired buoyancy characteristics of the pontoon. Also, the prior art method makes it difficult to use existing components such as existing shell extrusions and existing core extrusions.
Other problems associated with prior art pontoons include a difficulty in assembling pontoons together or to decking structures. Also, prior art pontoons are particularly difficult to drag upon a solid surface, such as is often required when the pontoon is being dragged into or out of a body of water.
Furthermore, most prior art pontoons suffer from a lack of versatility in that they fail to provide a means for allowing the adjustment of the buoyancy and, hence, of the height of the structure they support relative to the body of water. Also, most prior art pontoons suffer from being unable to provide for stability-increasing features such as a balancing system.
Accordingly, there exists a need for both an improved pontoon structure and a method for making the same. It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an improved pontoon structure and an improved method for forming the same.
Advantages of the present invention include that the proposed pontoon may be used for providing floating support to a variety of floating structures including docks, marinas, water vessels and the like.
The proposed pontoon is adapted to provide a reliable structure able to withstand various environmental agents such as moisture, petroleum products and the like. The proposed structure is also intended to resist attacks by rodents and other animals. Furthermore, the proposed structure is intended to at least partially provide some degree of floatation in the event it is punctured.
The proposed pontoon is also designed so as to facilitate its attachment to adjacent pontoons and/or to other structures such as decks.
It is designed to be attachable to floating structures such as docks, pontoon boats and the like without requiring special tooling or manual dexterity through a set of quick, easy and ergonomic steps. Also, the proposed pontoon is adapted to provide long-time durability and ease of maintenance while being relatively easy to repair if damaged.
Furthermore, the proposed structure is designed so as to be relatively easily transported either to a launching site or in and out of the water once at the launching site. More specifically, the proposed pontoon is designed so as to reduce friction with a solid ground surface when the pontoon is being dragged into or out of a body of water.
Furthermore, the proposed pontoon is designed so as to be easily customizable with regards to the required positive buoyancy provided thereby. Optionally, the proposed pontoon may also be provided with balancing capabilities so as to improve the overall stability of the pontoon.
The proposed method of manufacturing the pontoon is intended to reduce overall manufacturing costs. Also, the proposed method may be readily performed through a set of quick and ergonomic steps without requiring special tooling or manual dexterity.
Furthermore, the proposed method allows for the easy optional customization of both the buoyancy and balancing capabilities of the pontoon. Furthermore, the proposed method allows for recycling of existing extruded shells and extruded foam cores.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a pontoon, said method comprises the steps of:
providing a generally elongated pontoon shell, said shell being made out of a generally rigid material, said shell defining a shell longitudinal axis, a pair of generally opposed shell longitudinal ends and a shell length extending along said shell longitudinal axis between said shell longitudinal ends, said shell having a shell peripheral wall surrounding a shell inner volume and defining at least one end aperture extending into said shell inner volume from one of said shell longitudinal ends;
providing a buoyant filling component, said filling component being made out of foam material, said filling component being sildably insertable into said shell;
at least partially filling said shell with said filling component until said shell and said filling component inserted therein form a generally buoyant combination, said filling component being inserted into said shell inner volume by slidably inserting said filling component into said at least one end aperture in a direction generally along said shell longitudinal axis and towards the opposed shell longitudinal end.
Preferably, the method further comprises the step of at least partially closing said at least one end aperture.
Preferably, closing said at least one end aperture includes the steps of:
providing an end cap;
mounting said end cap in a generally overlying relationship relative to said at least one end aperture.
Preferably, the filling component is made out of a generally cohesive material, said filling component being fragmentable into segments of filling components, said method including the steps of:
evaluating said shell length;
fragmenting an initial piece of filling component so as to form at least two fragmented filling components so that at least one of said fragmented filling components forms a buoyant combination with said shell when inserted thereinto.
Preferably, the initial piece of filling component is fragmented by severing the latter using a cutting tool.
Preferably, the initial piece of filling component is severed prior to being inserted into said shell inner volume.
Alternatively, the initial piece of filling material is inserted into said shell inner volume with a protruding section thereof protruding outwardly from said at least one shell end aperture, said initial piece of filling material being severed about said protruding section once at least a section of said initial piece of filling material has been inserted into said shell inner volume.
Preferably, the initial piece of filling component has a generally elongated configuration defining an initial filling component longitudinal axis, said initial piece of filling component being severed in a direction generally perpendicular to said initial filling component longitudinal axis.
Preferably, the filling component is made out of a generally cohesive material, said filling component being fragmentable into segments of filling components, wherein said method includes the steps of:
providing at least two cooperating pieces of filling component, said cooperating pieces of filling component cooperating in forming a sub-combination of filling material such that it forms a buoyant combination with said shell when inserted thereinto;
inserting said sub-combination of filling material into said shell inner volume.
Preferably, the shell defines at least a pair of shell sections extending at least partially and generally longitudinally therealong, each of said shell sections having at least one corresponding end aperture leading thereinto, said method including the steps of:
providing a pair of buoyant filling components, each of said filling components being made out of foam material and being slidably insertable into a corresponding one of said shell sections;
at least partially filling each of said shell sections with a corresponding one of said filling components until the combination of said shell and said filling components inserted therein forms a generally buoyant combination, said filling components being inserted into said shell inner volume by slidably inserting said buoyant components into a corresponding one of said at least one end apertures in a direction generally along said shell longitudinal axis and towards the opposed shell longitudinal end.
Preferably, the method includes only partially filling a predetermined shell section with a corresponding filling component so as to define a ballast portion of said predetermined shell section, said ballast portion being fillable with a ballast material.
Preferably, the method further comprises the step of filling said ballast portion with a ballast material.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pontoon, said pontoon comprises:
a generally elongated pontoon shell, said shell being made out of a generally rigid material, said shell defining a shell longitudinal axis, a pair of generally opposed shell longitudinal ends and a shell length extending along said shell longitudinal axis between said shell longitudinal ends, said shell having a shell peripheral wall surrounding a shell inner volume and defining at least one end aperture extending into said shell inner volume from one of said shell longitudinal ends;
a buoyant filling component positioned within said shell inner volume, said filling component being made out of foam material, said filling component being slidably insertable into said at least one end aperture in a direction generally along said shell longitudinal axis and towards the opposed shell longitudinal end, the volume of said filling component being such that the combination of said shell and said filling component forms a generally buoyant combination.
Preferably, the pontoon further comprises a closing component mounted at least partially over said at least one end aperture for at least partially closing said at least one end aperture.
Preferably, the shell peripheral wall includes a base section, a generally opposed supporting section and a pair of spacing sections extending therebetween in a generally spaced apart relationship relative to each other; said base section defining a base section outer surface, said base section outer surface being provided with at least one longitudinal channel extending substantially and at least partially therealong.
Alternatively, the shell peripheral wall includes a base section, a generally opposed supporting section and a pair of spacing sections extending therebetween in a generally spaced apart relationship relative to each other; said supporting section defining at least one linking flange extending laterally therefrom in a direction leading generally adjacent from an adjacent spacing section.
Preferably, the spacing sections taper generally towards each other in a direction leading towards said base section.
Preferably, the pontoon further comprises a dividing wall extending generally longitudinally and transversally across said shell inner volume for dividing said shell inner volume into at least a pair of shell sections extending at least partially longitudinally therealong, at least one of said shell sections being at least partially filled with a corresponding filling component.
Preferably, each of said shell sections defines at least one corresponding end aperture leading thereinto, said pontoon including at least two cooperating pieces of buoyant filling component, each of said filling components being made out of foam material and being insertable into said shell inner volume by slidable insertion into a corresponding one of said at least one end apertures in a direction generally along said shell longitudinal axis and towards the opposed shell longitudinal end;
each of said shell sections being at least partially filled with a corresponding one of said filling components, said shell and said filling components inserted therein forming a generally buoyant combination.
Preferably, at least one of said shell sections defines a generally hollow ballast section; whereby said ballast section is at least partially fillable with a ballast material.
Preferably, the pontoon further comprises an end cap, said end cap including a cap wall for generally overriding said end aperture.
Preferably, the end cap further includes a cap flange extending from said cap wall for attaching said cap wall to said shell.
Preferably, the cap flange is inserted into said shell inner volume between said shell and said filling component.
Typically, the pontoon further comprises a cap valve extending through said cap wall for selectively establishing a fluid communication between said shell inner volume and the exterior of said shell.
Alternatively, the pontoon further comprises a valve extending between said shell inner volume and the exterior of said shell for selectively establishing a fluid communication between said shell inner volume and the exterior of said shell.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided herein, within appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.